At roughly $297,000, the Vanquish Volante will be one of the most expensive Aston Martins when it goes on sale early next year.

The Aston Martin Vanquish Volante sits at the top of the British automaker’s range of high performance drop-tops. This replacement for the outgoing DBS convertible comes with all the hardware – and come-hither looks – of the Vanquish supercar.

Aston refers to the car as being a member of the “super GT class.” We’re not going to argue that point, considering the Vanquish Volante is powered by a 6.0-liter V-12 engine that deliver 565-hp and 457 lb.-ft. of torque. The top speed is 183 mph. or the same as the Vanquish coupe variant, according to Aston Martin.

Power is sent to the rear wheels via a “Touchtronic” 6-speed automatic transmission equipped with paddle-shifters. The entire body is constructed of lightweight carbon-fiber, to help minimize curb-weight and boost performance. An adaptive damping system comes with three settings: Normal, Sport and Track mode.

A set of hugely powerful Brembo carbon-ceramic brakes can be seen lurking behind the Vanquish Volante's alloy wheels.

(Aston Martin)

Not every bit of engineering has been devoted solely to the Vanquish Volante’s performance specs. The trunk is 50-percent larger than the one offered in the previous DBS convertible. And the car’s triple-layer soft-top can be raised or lowered in only 14 seconds, and at speeds up to 30 mph.

U.S. sales begin in early-2014, and the base price has been set at approximately $297,000.